Normal days

Special thanks to guest writer Zeda Wilkerson for reminding me that I have plenty to be grateful for, even on my normal bad days.

We all have bad days. The days we wake up with a headache, days we just don’t feel like we look our best, flat-tire days, stir-crazy days, someone peed-in-our-Cheerios days, days we just want to crawl back under the covers, deadline missed days, my kids must hate each other days, forgot to run important errand days, nothing went right, the world is out to get me – normal days. I have learned to appreciate those normal days with a new respect.

A friend’s child has been battling leukemia the past couple of years. For them, normal has become weekly trips to St. Jude’s for his treatment. She recently wrote about a brother and sister they met during their time there. Both siblings have leukemia. I can’t wrap my mind around having one very sick child, much less two. My friend, I will add, battles chronic pain due to a car accident a few years ago, and her once very active lifestyle has become one of surgeries, walkers, and limited mobility. She is an inspiration to me though. Through it all, she has maintained a positive attitude and taken on each new challenge with fierce determination. If asked though, I’m certain, she would love to have just one “normal” day, when the worst thing to face that day is a flat tire.

It’s what you do on the bad days that matters. Do you take it out on those around you, and let your sour mood affect the people you love or those whom you work with? Do you call the day a wash and decide that because your day started out bad the rest of the day will probably follow? I have been guilty of this, and it’s something I continually work on.

Normal days, whether good or bad, are the days that make up our lives. I love the days that start out quietly with a cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise, and smiles from my kids. Days when I’m able to cross several things off my list at work. Days free of time commitments, days my husband and I can relax. If it weren’t for the good days, it would be easy to let the bad days completely overtake us, and bad days would become bad weeks.

We can wish for a big adventure, or for something unexpectedly wonderful and exciting to happen, but really any “normal” day, good or bad, is a small miracle, a gift to be appreciated. The next time you have a day when nothing seems to go right or when you wish you were somewhere else, be grateful for that day, and appreciate it for what it is – a day you have been blessed with, and say a quick prayer for anyone out there whose day may be going worse than yours, or who wishes for a life filled with normal days.

I’m especially grateful for our guest writer, Zeda Wilkerson, who has been a friend of mine for 15 years and has consistently brought joy and optimism to my life.